COUNSELING

General questions about Counseling 

Why Should I Consider Counseling?

Counseling can be helpful for a person going through situational struggles, wanting to grow in self-awareness, people experiencing anxiety, panic, grief, loss, life transitions, relational difficulties or for those who experience persistent difficulties with their mood, such as depression. Counseling assists individuals, couples and families in assessment of surrounding problems and relational patterns and then can be helpful in moving them from the place of struggle towards a place of healing and stability.

Counseling is unique to each person who seeks help because each person presents their own histories, struggles and pain. Counseling is guided by the client with the counselor's help and input. I may offer suggestions or assist in pointing you in directions; I will help to guide you but you ultimately set the direction of your counseling.

Counseling helps us to handle and process things around us such as transitions, losses and adjustments. Counseling can also help in dealing with things such as anxiety, panic, depression, conflict, grief, and self-worth. One can grow in understanding of who they are mentally, emotionally, relationally and spiritually. Counseling helps to generate and increase self-awareness while working towards the changes one desires in their life. It can also be helpful to look at one's past and things they have experienced and the effects that may have had on one's current situations or relational patterns.

What are some benefits of counseling?

Counseling offers a safe, warm and compassionate setting in which one is able to discuss their hurts, struggles and pain in order to work toward stability, healing, growth and reconciliation with others. Counseling can help one find deeper insight about self and circumstance, solutions to problems, and improved skills such as assertiveness, communication skills, and ways to handle emotions. Some things learned in counseling are discovering irrational beliefs and learning how to change them, understanding how to evaluate and change negative self-talk, identifying cause and effect relationships and learning how to respond differently, learning to examine choices and choose healthy ones, learning to set goals, and learning how to reframe negative perspectives into more healthy, rational ones.

Counseling can help to improve and deepen relationships, alter family dynamics, and ease the stresses of daily life. It is also healing and beneficial to truly feel heard and understood. Counseling can increase understanding of personal patterns of behavior and relating and assist one in changing those patterns if desired. Counseling can help in learning to better manage one's moods, anger, anxiety and depression. Therapy has also been shown to have many benefits: decreased depression, decreased anxiety and panic, resolved losses, better managed grief, increased self worth, etc. Counseling often leads to better relationships, solutions to specific problems, and significant reductions in feelings of distress, depression or anxiety.

Is counseling confidential?

Trust is very important in the counseling process. As such, counseling is a confidential and safe environment. Confidentiality exists between the counselor and the client. This means that what you say in the counseling room stays between you and your counselor. Only if you give written permission for me as your counselor to release information to an identified third party will information be disclosed.

However, there are a few exceptions to confidentiality. If any of these situations arise, I do my very best to notify you first before releasing any of your information that was disclosed in counseling.

• If there is threat or intent to harm self or others, the counselor must ensure that the client or the intended victim are safe. This may mean notifying police.
• If there is suspicion of child abuse, dependent adult or elder abuse, the counselor is mandated by law to report the suspected abuse to the proper authorities.
• If there is a subpoena for a clients records, certain records must be sent to court.

What can I expect from the first counseling session?

During an initial counseling session you will have an opportunity to get to know more about me as a counselor and more about the counseling process. You will be able to ask any questions you have about me as a counselor or about the counseling process. You will also have time to tell me about your story and about what is bringing you to counseling as well as what you benefits you'd like from counseling. We will explore both your expectations and the things you want to gain from counseling and set some initial counseling goals.

The first session is an initial opportunity for you to get to know me as a therapist and determine whether you think you want to continue counseling with me. The fit with the counselor is an important piece of the counseling process. It will be important for you to feel as though you can trust your counselor and be honest, open and vulnerable with them in order for you to derive significant benefits from counseling. I can answer questions you have and we can begin to explore the problems, situations and feelings bringing you to counseling. If you do not want to continue counseling with me but desire to have counseling, I can offer you referrals to other counselors in the area.